King William committee discusses broadband improvements

Roger Spangler explains the concept of the inferstructure improvement, consisting of a 60-mile opitical fiber, proposed as a way for King William to improve its internet service at a public meeting on March 16. Spangler is part of a county committee, which is made up mostly of government and school officials, exploring how to bring broadband internet service to the county.

Roger Spangler explains the concept of the inferstructure improvement, consisting of a 60-mile opitical fiber, proposed as a way for King William to improve its internet service at a public meeting on March 16. Spangler is part of a county committee, which is made up mostly of government and school officials, exploring how to bring broadband internet service to the county.

King William's broadband research committee shared its work with the public at an information meeting on Thursday.

For several months, the committee has explored bringing broadband to the county, like infrastructure needs, funding options and partnerships with other localities, said Gene Campbell, Economic Development Authority chairman and member of the committee.

The committee includes EDA members and officials from the school district and county government.

"We're working every angle," said Travis Moskalski, coutny board of supervisors chairman and committee member.

About two hundred people turned out to learn about the committee’s work and weigh in on the broadband efforts.

The committee pitched a 60-mile-long optical fiber cable project, running parallel with routes 30 and 360, to create a T-shaped backbone of broadband infrastructure in the county.

The lines would be based around schools, government facilities and public safety facilities as well as provide a direct connection to residents living within a half mile of the fiber. Outlying residents would be connected to broadband service through wireless equipment, said Roger Spangler, a citizen with an information technology background who is part of the committee.

It could potentially take two to three years to get all residents connected to the system, Spangler said.

Broadband would be a step up for the county. King William's current internet service is provided through a hodgepodge of satellite connections, dial-up and mobile hotspots. A broadband service would improve connection speeds for county residents, businesses and schools, Moskalski said.

Benefits of broadband could include improved instruction in schools, increased property values and job creation, according to the group.

But while broadband would be a step up, it comes at a cost. The project will probably be a significant investment, Moskalski said.

While the fiber cable project running along routes 30 and 360 doesn't have a set cost yet, one initial estimate puts the project at $10 million. Moskalski said he suspected a county bond referendum would precede funding of such a broadband project.

Ideally once the county established infrastructure private providers would move in and compete to operate, with the expensive step of burying fiber out of the way. Rather than create a county operated service, private providers are seen as more preferable because they could represent cost savings through competition and less risk to the county, Moskalski said.

Dark fiber is a private optic fiber network that is operated or leased by its operator, as opposed to buying bandwidth on an existing network.

The committee will continue to gather information and study potential options before submitting a recommendation to the board of supervisors.

A recommendation is likely several months away, Moskalski said.

The committee is also conducting an online survey to determine internet usage and needs in the county. The survey, which went live on March 3, will remain open for 30 days.

The survey, which had gathered results from 1,150 residents Thursday, showed people have internet but also aren't keen on their service. Most people, about 65 percent, considered their internet service to be bad or unacceptable.